Appendix 1: Anti-bullying code

This school regards as forms of bullying all of the following if engaged in over a period of time. Individual instances of these kinds of behaviour will be noted and investigated wherever noticed:

• pushing, shoving, punching, kicking, poking, hitting, tripping people up
• writing derogatory remarks about another in any place
• attempting to get another student into trouble e.g. by scattering one's books, damaging one's books or exercises, false accusations
• threatening another person
• using abusive or derisive language towards a person
• staring continuously at a person or giving other signs of dislike
• demanding money from a person
• demanding that another student acts in a particular way towards authority
• demanding to see another person's private notes or letters
• preventing other students from co-operating with school staff
• forcing other students to do one's own tasks
• forcing a student to pass on his or her exercise
• forcing a student to let one copy from him or her at examinations
• name calling - especially when the name called is offensive
• making a mocking sound when a person's name is called publicly
• imitating a person's accent or voice or drawing attention to any speech impediment
• drawing attention to any physical characteristic of a person in a derogatory way
• sneering at a student's ability or lack of ability in any domain
• making derogatory remarks about a person's clothes, personal hygiene or personal belongings
• making derogatory reference to a person's parents, family, home or place of residence
• making suggestive signs or remarks about a person's sexual orientation
• circulating derogatory notes concerning a person
• any form of physical assault
• attempts to ostracise a person
• public exclusion e.g. from invites to a birthday party
• blackmail of other criminal offence
• making nuisance or threatening or abusive telephone calls
• sending offensive emails
• any form of cyber bullying e.g. by internet or mobile phone, by posting on Bebo, Facebook, Twitter, Ask.fm or any such page. etc
• any form of homophoic or transgender bullying
• any form of racist bullying
• bullying of a person because of her or  his membership of the Traveller community
• A once-off posting of derogatory material on a phone or internet site is bullying

or any other form of bullying mentioned in  Guidelines of the Department or in the New procedures

The school encourages students and staff to report any such incidents whenever they occur. Normally, minor incidents of bullying will be dealt with in the school, but in more serious cases, parents will be informed.

If a student has been bullied outside of the school, e.g. on the school bus or at any point on the way to or from school, it should be reported by those who witness it in the weekly letter. The school's Anti-Bullying Co-ordinator will act to prevent this bullying also by interviews with the alleged bully, his or her parents, the victim's parents, the victim etc. If the reported bullying appears not to have stopped, the busdriver and Bus Company will be informed, as well as the Principal.

All students will be expected to co-operate with the measures taken by the school to counter bullying behaviour. Among those, special note should be taken of the fact that all students are expected to bring a note on bullying in a sealed envelope to school once a week, even if they have nothing to report; that a serious view will be taken of those who shout "Bullying" where none exists (While this might be done without intent, it can act as a cover for real bullying); that a most serious view will also be taken of a student who attempts in any way to hinder any other from handing on information concerning bullying to the relevant authority.

Students who are deemed to continue to bully will be requested not to return to the school at the end of the school year or may be expelled.

This Code may be updated from time to time.

We agree to accept and abide by the above Anti-Bullying Code on behalf of our sons/daughters while they are students in [NAME OF SCHOOL]

[Signed by Parents or Guardians]

[This page last edited 19 January 2014]